James Garman, 38 years old from Haddenham, is preparing to ride in this year's Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 on Sunday 31st July.
He is taking part in this gruelling 100 mile cycling event, which starts at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park then follows a 100-mile through the capital and into Surrey's countryside and finishes on The Mall at the end of the day, to raise funds for Coeliac UK, the national charity for people with coeliac disease. James also works for the charity which is based in High Wycombe.
Coeliac disease is a serious autoimmune disease caused by a reaction to gluten. When gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and barley) is eaten, damage to the gut lining occurs. There is no cure or medication for the condition; the only treatment is a lifelong, strict gluten-free diet. If someone with coeliac disease doesn't stick to a gluten-free diet, the disease can lead to other conditions such as malnutrition, osteoporosis and small bowel cancer.
1 in 100 people in the UK has coeliac disease but only 24% of those with the condition have been diagnosed. There are an estimated half a million people in the UK who have the condition yet don't know it, and it's something the charity it trying to tackle with their 'Is it coeliac disease?' campaign.
James said: "I am taking part in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 cycling event to raise awareness of coeliac disease and to raise funds for Coeliac UK. I work for the charity which does fantastic work to diagnose and support people with coeliac disease and I wanted to go the extra mile – or 100 – and support its work. This is my first event and training is going extremely well so I'm up for the challenge!"
"I have raised nearly £350 to date and hope to raise £500 come the big day. I am very happy to do my bit to raise awareness of coeliac disease by taking part. If it means that just one more person thinks that it's worth getting tested as a result then that would be fantastic!" continued James.
To help raise awareness of coeliac disease, Coeliac UK launched an online assessment tool through its 'Is it coeliac disease?' campaign to help reach the half a million people in the UK who have coeliac disease yet don't know it.
To sponsor James, please visit his fundraising page
For more details on the event, see here
